


Through Thick Storm

by AeonTheDimensionalGirl



Series: I’ve Got You (You’re Safe Now) [27]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: (Why is that not a tag?), Angry Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Angst with a Happy Ending, Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Awesome Leon (Merlin), Canon Era, Caring Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Deviates From Canon, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Idiot Uther (Merlin), M/M, Merlin is So Done (Merlin), Secret Relationship, Sick Merlin (Merlin), Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:27:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27235735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AeonTheDimensionalGirl/pseuds/AeonTheDimensionalGirl
Summary: The day is not in their favor, and to make things worse, Arthur’s lover is developing a cough.
Relationships: Arthur Pendragon & Uther Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur, Merlin/Arthur Pendragon, Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: I’ve Got You (You’re Safe Now) [27]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1939345
Comments: 30
Kudos: 477





	Through Thick Storm

**Author's Note:**

> **PROMPT No 27. OK, WHO HAD NATURAL DISASTERS ON THEIR 2020 BINGO CARD?**  
>  Earthquake | **Extreme Weather** | Power Outage

It was a horrible day to travel.

For starters, the sun had never shown up on the morn, and instead what marked the beginning of the day had been grey clouds hovering over Camelot- a warning that sooner or later a storm would reign upon the land.

But Arthur Pendragon’s father, Uther, had woken with the belief that he could defy the weather and the passing of time, for he ordered that the traveling party consisting of himself, Arthur and a small group of Knights and servants were still to march towards Mercia for the renewal of the peace treaty.

The Crown Prince had exchanged a small worried glance with Merlin as they mounted their horses in courtyard. In the little time it taken everyone to gather, the grey clouds had begun to turn darker.

“Please tell me you have a good feeling about today” Arthur muttered.

“Depends if you want the answer from the perspective of a traveler or a farmer’s” the raven replied, looking wary at the sky, “Because I’m afraid the response is different for each other”

The blond resisted the urge to curse, instead turning towards the King.

“Father-” Arthur said as he approached, “Perhaps we should postpone the trip for today. The weather doesn’t seem to be in our favor and there’s a high risk of getting caught in a storm in the journey”

“We won’t be caught in anything if we keep standing here” Uther replied with disinterest.

Arthur gritted his teeth.

“Father, whether or not we part now, the rain is upon us” he tried again, “I’m sure King Bayard will understand if we arrive a day late to Mercia”

“Unacceptable” the King said, “If we arrive late the Mercians will think ill of Camelot’s image”

“Not if we explain the reason to the delay” Arthur replied, trying to hide his nerves as he hear the distant rumble of thunder, “Unless you want everyone to catch their deaths if we march onwards”

“You exaggerate, Arthur” his father now looked annoyed, “A little rain won’t do us harm”

Exasperated, the blond glanced at Merlin, who was gaping before his face settled into a look of calm deceit that send shivers through the Crown Prince’s spine.

“My lord, may I speak?” the raven asked.

Uther didn’t even gave him a glance.

“No”

Arthur resisted the urge to sigh in aggravation. His father’s clear disdain for the boy was honestly ridiculous.

“As the physician’s apprentice I share Prince Arthur’s concerns” Merlin spoke anyway, staring at the King with stormy eyes, “If we travel under this weather, I estimate a good amount of the party will get sick, considering the layers of clothes and armor people are wearing-”

“Enough!” Uther barked, making both Arthur and Merlin jump in fright, “We’re going, and we’re going now! You-” he pointed to the blond, “Get on your horse and stop complaining, I’ve not raised you to be like this. And you!” he turned to the raven, who shifted in his spot.

Arthur felt a stone of dread settle on his stomach as he took in the furious look his father was giving Merlin.

“For insubordination-” the King hissed, “You’ll walk for the entire day as punishment. Arthur, tie your servant to your horse”

The Crown Prince staggered back in shock.

“Father!” he cried out with growing panic as he saw Sir Hector approach with a long rope and a set of chains, “Be reasonable! This type of punishment is just for men who try to desert the army!”

With the upcoming exhaustion it would bring and the weather…

Arthur couldn’t let Merlin go through this.

“Sire” the Crown Prince forced his voice to be as calm as possible, “This could kill my manservant”

His father gave him a dead stare.

“Do you wish to join him”

Arthur doesn’t know which one is worse. The fact that his father didn’t even poise it as a question, or the look Merlin was giving him as Sir Hector finished placing the chains on his wrists.

(And the blond can’t help but be glad the manacles are not made out of cold iron. If they’d been… Arthur shudders to know the secret warlock’s fate)

Back to Merlin, he was giving him his ‘Arthur, no’ face; subtly shaking his head and silently begging the Crown Prince to let it go.

Gritting his teeth, Arthur turned to his expectant father.

“No, sire” he replied in a quiet voice.

“Good. Now stop wasting time and get on your horse, both you and your servant have cost us precious hours of travel time” Uther demanded.

Arthur turned away from the King, seething quietly in anger and feeling it boil further to find Merlin already tied up to the handle of Llameri’s saddle.

“I’m sorry” the raven whispered as soon as Arthur was within earshot.

“Don’t be” the blond quietly replied while mounting his mare, “You were only backing me up” he added, watching Sir Leon take Merlin’s horse, Aster and tying her reins to his own. The Knight gave the Crown Prince a small nod before looking worried at the warlock, who simply waved.

Smiling softly, Arthur placed his hand on the raven’s shoulder.

“Are you going to be alright?” he asked, feeling more anxious for the trip. Merlin bit his lip, staring at the sky with worry.

“I hope so” he said, “I would try a spell to prevent all of us from feeling the burden of the elements, but-” he gestured around him, “I do like my head attached to my shoulders”

Despite the situation, Arthur couldn’t help but chuckle lightly.

“Yes, I like it too” he replied, smiling softly at the warlock, pretending to look for something behind him so he could swiftly caress Merlin’s cheek in comfort for a moment.

The raven didn’t say anything in return, but he placed his hand briefly on the blond’s knee, squeezing lightly to make him know he acknowledged his intention.

“I’ll try to be gentle with the pace, _fy nghariad_ ” Arthur said in a quiet voice low enough just for his lover’s ears.

Merlin opened his mouth to say something, but Uther took that moment to scream at everyone that they were leaving now.

Sighing, the secret lovers gave each other one last look of dread before following the King.

As they left, a light rain began to fall over the party.

* * *

While the weather had been looking slightly grim before they left the citadel, the rain started to become more and more unhinged with the wind as they got deeper onto the road.

This, in turn, had prompted King Uther to push the traveling party into practically breaking into a hurried run, not caring that everyone was practically soaked to this point and that Arthur had a ‘prisoner’ attached to his horse.

With the floor slippery and the haste trot of the horses, Merlin stumbled constantly over his feet, and the exhaustion was beginning to be shown on him, for not long after the rain began to pour harder with the wind, the raven, alongside some of the attendees, had begun to cough.

Even with the bad weather obscuring most of his vision, Arthur could see that he was becoming pale.

“Father” the Crown Prince called with worry as the trees collided between them, “We need to find shelter!”

“We’re not delaying this envoy, Arthur!” Uther barked, not caring that a branch just nearly hit him in the head.

“But sire, can’t you see that people are falling ill?” Arthur asked with near panic on his voice as he heard Merlin cough more violently and some of the Knights teeth clatter. A woman looked like she was about to pass out, “And the rain is pouring with vicious force!”

“Enough, Arthur!”

“FATHER!” this time the Crown Prince didn’t even bother to hold back his anger, “WE HAVE TO STOP NOW!” he gestured around him, “THE WEATHER IS BECOMING TOO EXTREME FOR US TO HANDLE!”

Perhaps it was the tone in Arthur’s voice, or Uther actually bothered to take a look at his surroundings, for the King pursed his lips before staring almost furious at his son.

“Fine” he spat, turning to the rest of the party, “FIND SHELTER!”

“Oh, thank fuck” Merlin said with a croaky voice next to Arthur, collapsing on his knees as everyone else let out an audible sigh of relief despite the raging wind.

* * *

It’s thanks to Leon that they find a cave large enough to serve as a temporal shelter against the storm for the humans and the horses.

The servants immediately try to find something that can function as firewood to warm up the cavern, and by some form of miracle they manage to find some stray branches to serve as kindling; while the Knights tie up the horses by placing their reins on the ground and held by a heavy boulder.

As they begin to settle, it’s made obvious that a lot of people have begun to fall sick, and Uther grudgingly let Merlin go so he could begin attending to them.

Arthur, however, couldn’t help but be worries as he watched his slightly muddy lover move around the cave. He knew Merlin’s natural movements, and while it’s true that the raven can be clumsy from time to time, he’s never look so sluggish-

“I’m going to have that boy flogged” Uther hissed when Merlin stumbled over his feet for the hundred time half a candle mark as he went through patient to patient.

Arthur had to resist turning to glare at the King.

“Father” he forced his voice to sound bored, “Merlin simply tripped. He does that” he pursed his lips, steeling himself for the next words, “Besides, you’re only taking your anger out on him because he turned out to be right in his warning”

Uther did turn to stare at him with fury, but didn’t say anything, so Arthur counted it as a silent win.

“Sire” Leon whispered next to him, voice uneasy, “Have you seen Merlin’s state?”

“If you mean that the cough hasn’t left him, and the shivering, then yes, Leon, I’ve seen him” the blond murmured, turning to give his other confidant a frown, “Has he taken a tonic?”

“Not that I’ve seen” Leon admitted, “Your father demanded he attend to the Knight’s first before the other servants- I don’t think he’s bothered to re-”

A heavy thud and the shriek of one of the maids cut the Knight off.

“Oh my goodness, Merlin!”

With his heart on his throat, Arthur turned to the direction of the sound with enough force to give him whiplash, and was horrified to see his lover on the ground, unconscious.

“What is it now?” Uther asked with annoyance at the same time the Crown Prince ran to the warlock, followed closely by Leon.

Throwing property through the window, Arthur took the raven into his arms, fearful for his life as he took in Merlin’s sweat covered brow, hard breathing, sickly pale face and light fever.

Shit.

Shitshitshitshit!

“Leon” Arthur said as he tried to ignore his shaky voice, “Keep doing Merlin’s rounds, would you?” he commanded as he tried to look for the raven’s medicine bag.

A servant, who he recognized to by Henry, nervously handled it to him, and the blond thanked him in a quiet voice.

“Could you please help Sir Leon?” he said while taking out a tonic for Merlin and himself, “That way the medicine is distributed faster”

“Yes, my lord”

“Arthur, what in the seven hells are you doing?” his father asked from his spot at the fire.

“Helping my servant” the blond answered as he forced the tonic’s contents on Merlin’s throat, fearing for his lover’s life as he immediately began to cough again after swallowing.

“Unacceptable-!”

“Sire” Arthur spat, feeling utterly done with the King, “With all due respect, do shut up”

“Arthur-!”

“Father!” the Crown Prince turned to Uther, both of them sporting looks of outrage on their faces, “In case you haven’t noticed, we’re trapped in the middle of an extreme rainstorm that could have been avoided if you’d just listened to me and Merlin, who yes, I’m aware is a servant, but he also happens to be Gaius’s apprentice and saw this coming. The men and women with us are cold and trying to fight off a sickness. The only one in this cavern with enough knowledge if anything goes to shit has just fainted because of the rage of the elements. So do forgive my tone, my lord, because quite frankly this could have been all avoided if you hadn’t decided to be a complete and stubborn King!”

By the time Arthur finished yelling, he was heaving, while the cave was silent.

Everyone was staring at him in shock, and some were even nervously looking back and forth between the older Pendragon and the younger.

Arthur didn’t even bothered to feel mortified at his outburst, for he regretted nothing.

This was the closest he was ever going to get to defend his lover against his father's cruelty.

Speaking of Uther, he broke the stare first.

“Alright then” the King said, “We’ll stay in here until the storm passes away”

“Thank you, sire” Arthur curtly replied before turning back to his unconscious lover, ignoring the strange looks from his father’s Knights.

He spent the rest of the day looking after Merlin, with Leon sometimes helping him by sneaking a water skin and some of the recently back to dry food.

Until finally, when everyone has fallen asleep, Merlin’s azure eyes opened.

“Hello” Arthur greeted, cupping his cheek, “How are you feeling?”

“Better” Merlin croaked, sighing as he leaned onto his touch.

“Thank the gods” the blond whispered, “You scared me”

“Sorry” the warlock cheekily said as he placed his hand over Arthur’s, “But- the weather and the walking-”

“I know”

“Did you take care of me?” Merlin asked with slight confusion, “And Uther let you?”

“Yes” Arthur confirmed, smiling softly, “It took a screaming match, but I did. Leon and the other servants helped too”

“I’ll have to thank them later then” the warlock whispered with a small smile.

“Do you know if the storm will pass any soon?” the Crown Prince asked as he lay down next to his lover, “I don’t want to endanger your health by continuing traveling to Mercia with a light rain”

Merlin’s eyes flashed gold for a moment, and he let out a sigh of relief.

“It will go by morrow” he mumbled at the same time his eyes shone again, the cave growing warmer, “I can feel it”

“Thank the gods” Arthur muttered as he draped himself over the raven’s back.

“Not that I’m complaining” the warlock said, “But aren’t you worried over what people will say if they find us like this?”

The Crown Prince huffed.

“I’ll tell them it was for body heat, _cariad_ ” he replied, placing a kiss on the crown of Merlin’s forehead, who smiled before closing his eyes.

Hugging his lover close, Arthur soon followed him into falling asleep to the angry rain outside, content with the knowledge that it would soon pass away.

**Author's Note:**

>  _Fy nghariad_ = Welsh for 'My love'
> 
>  _Cariad_ = Welsh for 'Love'


End file.
